Christmas Carols
by ScottyBgood
Summary: Not every retelling of the story of Scrooge has to be the same. Join me for these two very different stories about what happens when Jade is involved with the spirits of Christmas past, present and future. Probably not what you'd expect. Of course, being my story, there will be some Jori.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the original material.

:}

Tori woke up with a start as she found herself looking at a stranger, a man, sitting in her room, bound by what looked to be a mile of thick chain. Along the links of the chain were locks, boxes, and who knew what else, making it look like it weighted as much a battleships chain. Other then that, the man seemed to be dressed in tattered rags, the remains of what was once an expensive suit.

Tori, being the rational twentieth century girl she was, screamed.

It took him trying to shush her for the Latina to remember that it was Christmas eve, that her family had gone to her aunt Sonia's Christmas party, and they were still there. Being the holiday season, they'd broken out the Christmas wine. If Andre hadn't been able to give her partially drunk self a ride home, she'd have been stuck there, sharing a bed with Trina and maybe a female cousin or two. All of which meant she was alone with this strange man.

By now, she'd stopped screaming. "Thank heavens." The man said. "Things are bad enough for me, without you screaming your fool head off. Now if you please, time is short, and we need your help."

"W-we?" Tori asked. "Of course, but do I, I mean... We?"

"Lost to explain, and we will have to do it on the way. Can you drive?" He asked.

"I've been drinking." The schoolgirl replied. "And I don't have my license."

"I'll drive." He said. "Come, before the morn, or my descendant will be accursed, as was I. Forced to walk the world on Christmas day, forever denied the joys and life I ignored when I was alive."

'This sounds familiar.' Tori thought as she grabbed her purse and followed the ghost down the stairs, not sure why she was doing it. "So how..." Honestly, beyond being scared, Tori was confused. How were they going to get there, and who were they saving. 'Why am I even helping him?' She thought. "So I'm helping you why?"

"Because you're the only one who can." It was said so matter-of-factly that she found herself just accepting his word for it. They were already in the car, her behind the drivers seat, when she realized she was just going along with it. The Car started, and his chains, wrapped around the steering wheel, with weights on the accelerator and breaks, were doing the actual driving. She was just there following along.

'This isn't good.' Tori thought as they drove into the night. His chains, in all their crushing weight, were also keeping her in the car. If this was a plot to kill her, she had no escape now. But the car glided through the darkness, seeming to notice obstacles with barley enough time to avoid them, moving towards it's far off destination. "So who am I helping?"

"My grandson." The ghost said. "And his daughter. They are both accursed because he loves money and little else. He's grown cold, making her unable to appreciate the one's who care about her. His love and need for money made her dark and dangerous, likely to cause much harm before she's had the chance to heal. Tonight I was trying to save them both, but she proved to be..." The voice drifted as they arrived in front of a large, dark house. There were no Christmas decorations anywhere to be seen, just a gate.

'Wait, this is a gated community.' She thought. "How'd we get in?" She asked aloud. 'And I'm in my mustachioed pajamas.'

"The guards know enough to just let my kind in." The ghost said, practically dragging Tori out of the car and towards the house. Leaving the car in the driveway, she moved towards the grand front door as the ghost floated through. A second later, the door opened. "Wait, advance no further." He declared, then mumbling "Now what was the code? I hate these things." Soft beeps drifted through the darkness, along with soft mumbling.

Tori waited patently for the alarm code to be entered, and the alarm reset. Then, she followed him to the stairs. As she approached, she could hear moans, the sounds of suffering, broken periodically be a zapping sound. She started to move towards the stairs up, but the ghost led her though what could have been a closet door but instead hid the stairs down. They were now rushing towards the basement. Tori was getting tired of him dragging her forward while she had to stop to open the door.

One flight of stairs later, she came to a hall, with several doors along it. Towards the end was a door covered with warnings, skull and crossbones and other symbols of forebodence. "I can go no further." The ghost announced. "You must go in, confront her. You will know what to do."

Tori took a moment to catch her breath. The sounds of pain and torment were coming from the other side of the door, and she had only her purse and favorite pajamas. 'Not even pepper spray.' She realized. Then, with a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

Beyond the door she found a familiar bedroom, a good quarter of it she'd seen regularly from it's owners Slap videos. Tori couldn't spare the rooms owner a moment, since she was busy staring at the scene before her. Two figures stood inside a circle made of light. Around the circle, multiple symbols were written on the floor, where the carpet had been rolled up, in what might be chalk, or at least Tori hoped it was.

But it was the figures that got her attention. One was androgynous, seemingly made of golden light. It stood slash hovered in it's half of the circle, shifting nervously in it's old fashion jacket and robes. The other figure was a giant of a man, dressed in rich robes with a full beard, looking like a nine foot tall medieval duke, complete with is throne and drinking cup. Behind him, filling out his half of the too small circle, was a cornucopia, spilling out Christmas foods. The muffled sounds of merriment that emanated from his feast seemed strangled by the buzzing sounds that emitted from the glowing wall that bound the spirits within.

And just beyond, sitting upon her bed, emery board in hand, was the girl who'd trapped such potent spirits as these. Her glare, as deadly as ever, was now leveled at the intruder. "Vega?" She asked, but it sounded like an accusation.

"You trapped the spirit of Christmas past?" Tori finally stammered out.

"And present." Jade added. "And unless your the form that Christmas future chose, and I'd totally understand that, then I'm expecting someone else."

'What am I superposed to do now?' Tori wondered as she stared at the room, not even processing the insult the goth had lobbed towards her. The threat posed by the other girl was very real. Jade was now standing, and there were a million pairs of scissors hidden in the drawers and closets around her. "Spirit, what the fuck am I supposed to do?"

"Spirit?" The goth asked. "Vega, did someone put you up to this?"

"He said he was your great grandfather, and he was trying to save your father from the same fate he'd been cursed to." Tori tried to explain.

"Except that, of my great grandfathers, none of them would be asking for this kind of intervention. Two didn't know or care for my father, one hated him, and last was neither greedy or anything that these spirits would have cared about." Jade informed the Latina. "When I summoned the spirits, I did so invoking the memory of my uncle Randal, who died when I was ten."

"Wait?" Tori looked out the door to the man floating there. Suddenly, nothing made sense. "Why would he lie?" She asked, not expecting an answer. "And why does he need me to free these guys."

"Because they are a force of nature, a force of good." The strange ghost said. "They must be freed to walk the earth. They must be free to help people, to change lives."

"And what if those people don't want to change?" Jade screamed out the door. "Who made your version of the world right. Yes, people are suffering, but punishing one greedy man, one miser, won't change things. And just giving on Christmas, instead of the whole year, that's ridiculous."

"It's not Christmas as much as the season." The nine foot tall spirit said. "Before the Christians, before me and my brothers, the spirit world had the ghost of the Yule, of rebirth, always joy and rebirth in the dead of winter. It was about hope in the darkness."

"Listen to him." Tori said. "They are needed. They help people. Think of how bad life is, but many charities make most of their yearly donations during this time of year. These are the spirits of that, and of carolers, and, and of gifts. These are the spirits of the joy of the season. You cannot just bind them here."

"Tori!" Jade was close enough that Tori could smell the coffee on her breath. "They're Fae. Born with the first thoughts of wonder about our world, but never truly belonging, they take on aspects of our world to experience our lives. These, they look like the spirits of Christmas past and present, but the big guy, he won't truly die at the end of the day. He'll just shift, and come back next year as the new ghost of Christmas present."

"How?" Tori asked. "I mean, assuming your right, how do you know these things?"

"I spent a lot of time trying to find out something, and magic seemed the easiest way to do that." Jade replied. "Fairy magic isn't all Tinker Bell and Pixie Hollow. It can be pretty dark."

"So that gives you the right to trap them?' Tori asked, not quite believing what Jade was saying.

"I have to." Jade said, sounding defensive. "This will be my proof. Proof that my dad is ignoring his family, driving his second wife away, and all in the pursuit of money. This will help him see that he's been ignoring them. I just need him to see that these ghosts are here, and he'll believe."

"Can he see them?" Tori asked. "And if he did, would he believe that they were ghosts? They don't look like ghosts. Your dad would probably just make up some excuse."

"No!" Jade almost screamed. "I just need the last one, the ghost of Christmas future. I need that one, and he'll be able to see what he's doing, how he's hurting the ones who love him." Jade was shaking. "I can't make him see what his attitude is costing him us." Teal eyes met Dark Amber, "Please Tori, I need for him to see this. I've come so far, and I can't give up now..."

"But you did it." Tori's voice was gentile, reassuring. "You've summoned them. All you needed to do was just let them do their work, and he'd see."

"They tried, once, years ago." Jade was almost crying. "They failed. He made himself believe that it was all a dream. He didn't get better, only worse." She looked at Tori again. "They usually only give one chance. I-I had to do something drastic to bring them, and I can't let them go without my dad seeing that it was real. I was real."

It was obvious Jade was too far gone to reason with. "How do I fee them?" Tori asked the ghost standing just outside the room.

"Jade knows." The ghost said.

"What if I break the circle?" Tori asked.

'You can't!" Jade pushed Tori back. The Latina stumbled, almost falling, and she wasn't pushed that hard.

The singer was ready to run, or fight, depending on what Jade did next. Jade was desperate, but Tori suspected that if she got Jade out of the room, the spirit outside would help her. She just needed a plan. Tori moved towards the circle. 'In the movies, a line breaking the circle will free them.' She thought.

"I can't let you do that." Jade said, looking at Tori, her eyes wild. "I can't let you pay the price for my spell." Jade took a step back towards the circle. "You'd do it too. I know you will. You always get what you want. You'll call Beck, or Cat, or that annoying sister of yours, and somehow you'd break the circle, just like in the movies."

Jade surged forward again, pushing Tori into the door. "And you'd succeed. I know it. But I'm the one paying the price." She let go of Tori, staggering back a step. "Maybe it'll be enough? You know, losing someone on Christmas day? Maybe that will make him appreciate what he has?"

"Losing someone?" Tori asked. 'She doesn't mean...' Tori tried to move forward, hoping to trap Jade's arms before the goth could cut or stab whatever. But Tori had guessed wrong about what the goth was planning, so wasn't ready when Jade just used her foot to wipe away one of the chalked symbols around the circle.

Immediately, the wall fell, the two figures withing fading like the after image of a sudden light, and the ghost who was waiting outside grew into a massive shadowy figure. Tori couldn't look at the new form of that ghost, mostly because she knew it was made up of all the nightmares and fears felt on Christmas. She only saw the shadowy form rise above her and then surge forward and down, envelopeing Jade. The goth screamed, but only for the briefest of seconds. A moment later, the darker girls screams were silenced, the shadows reseeded to nothingness, and Tori was standing over an unmoving body.

"Jade!" She called out, but the goth didn't move, her eyes no longer seeing this world.

"WHY!" Tori screamed to the unseen heavens. Tears streamed from her eyes as she watched her friends body start to grow cold. Tori collapsed beside Jade, lost in the realization of what Jade had given up to convince her father that he needed to change.

"She's not dead." A voice said. It was rich, melodic, and familiar. Glancing up, she saw Cat, but without the hair dye, her hair it's natural brown. The small girl was wearing a simple but elegant gown of white, sitting on Jade's desk.

"C-Cat?" Tori managed to push out.

"Titania." The girl replied. "But I needed a form, and both you and that one are Friends with this form, so I borrowed it."

"So whats going to..." Tori swallowed, hard, trying to clear her throat. Jade was so lifeless. "Whats going to happen to her?" That time she got it all out.

"She'll pay a price, but those spirits, even in their darkest forms, are about helping people. They'd sooner get day jobs then hurt someone." There was a strange smile on the petite face, both compassionate and cruel. "No, that one just needs to be bound, contained. Once she's paid the price, you can have her back."

"H" Tori started. She was still having trouble forming words. "How long is she going to be like this?"

"It's hard to say." The Fairy queen said. "Time flows very differently in the two realms. She could be there for days, years even, and be back before the dawn." Brown eyes flashed at Tori. "Or was that the other way around?"

Titania dropped off the desk, bouncing on her feet then walking up to Tori. "You did help us, even if you were tricked. So you do deserve a reward."

"Can you bring Jade back?" Tori asked. "She's kinda dark, but I think we were making progress."

"You were already getting her back." The small girl said. "But in the spirit of the season, I'll give you a shortcut on your friendship with her." There was something off about the way she'd said friendship.

That's when Tori felt the shadow rising above her. Then, like a wave breaking, it engulfed the singer in a flood of darkness and motes of light. The world was spinning, but with no reference point, the Latina wasn't sure if she was twirling around or just getting dizzy for no reason.

Tori's eyes opened, and she could see the world around her had shifted. It was a bright Christmas day. 'Or at least I think it is.' She thought, looking at the way the spacious living room was decorated. The tree had the star on top, a multitude of ornaments, some of them scissrs, and presents under it. A brightly colored eight panel play yard surrounded the tree, keeping pets and small children away from the tree and the gifts.

The morning sun was barely shining in through the large windows when the silence was broken by the sound of children screaming down the stairs toward the tree. Too old to be held at bay by the play yards walls, they were looking over or through it to see what presents were awaiting them.

"All right monsters, back off until I've had my morning coffee." Jade's voice cut through the din, and seconds later an older Jade walked down the stairs. "No playing with anything until after Momma's here."

"Yes mother." The oldest, a girl, said. She looked to be about seven or eight. The others were a boy and girl who looked to both be a year or two younger then the spokeschild. But the oldest had Jade's hair, eyes, and skin town, set off by features that reminded Tori of Beck.

"You know, if they want something to play with, they could look in here." Came a voice from down the hall. Tori found herself running to follow the children to another room where an older version of herself was sitting amidst colorful stockings. Each one was stuffed with little things to play with. "Now remember, you can play until Mom calls, then you go eat breakfast. But bring your stockings to the living room so we can all enjoy all your presents together. Also, Mom and I will be bringing out the goodies later, cause we don't wan a repeat of two years ago, do we? Now play." It wasn't like they needed to be told twice. Each child dumped their stockings into their respective Christmas buckets, and started sorting to see what they'd gotten.

The older Tori stood up and walked to the kitchen. "I still can't believe they love their stockings so much. I mean, the contents of any one stocking couldn't be worth more then twenty bucks, tops." That Tori stopped to kiss Jade, squeezing the older goths ass for good measure.

"Tori!" The older Jade whisper yelled. "Not while I'm cooking."

"How about we get the kids to my parents quickly, and go play some Christmas games of our own." The older Tori said. The younger Tori blushed.

"Stop that." Jade mock protested. "Today is for the children. One week from last night is for your perverted fantasies."

"Like you could wait that long." The older Tori said.

"My god, did I wind up with..." Tori said as she was trying to process what she was seeing.

"These are the shadows of what might be." Titania said, still looking like Cat. "Nothing's guaranteed, but your the most likely happy ending for Jade. And yes, you and she are both bi. Just so you know."

"So I should..." Tori was still trying to wrap her mind around what she'd seen.

"Jade and you both have a high chance of making it, of being stars." The Fairy queen said. "But many futures lead to unhappy relationships and hear break. You have more bad relationships then Taylor Swift plus a classic country album. Jade, she just gets bitter. In many, she dies from one cause or another, all functionally self inflicted."

The world had gone gray, leaving Tori and the Fae facing each other. "So if I don't go after her, bad things happen?"

"There are futures where you and Jade both find happiness, without each other." Hearing Cats voice sound so wise was strange. "But, from what I can tell, you and Jade together is her best chance. It's up to you. You have the choice. Jade may not want to date you. She may not be ready. But if you choose to sacrifice of yourself for her happiness, it will likely come to pass." The pseudo Cat smiled, gently taking Tori's hand. "We have to go to her. You have decisions to make."

"If I sacrifice... I mean, I looked happy." Tori asked.

"Sacrifices are giving of oneself, giving up on something for some purpose. They are not always about suffering. Jade can be good to those she loves." Titania said. "Besides, she's an incredible lay." They walked to a place where Jade seemed to be laying, enveloped by shadow, small images of her past forming long enough to remind her what a disappointment she was or otherwise torment her, then fading again.

"This is her punishment?" Tori asked.

"No, we just showed her how much damage she could do, how much she'd wind up hurting those she loved, if she didn't learn to control her mystic skills. No binding could last forever, and we wanted to be sure she wouldn't be a danger to anyone." The small girl said.

"Then why?" Tori pointed at the small slice of hell before her.

"Jade has power, more then enough to make her own punishment." The Fairy queen said. "Now you must choose. Both your futures will proceed based upon what you do today. Do nothing, and she'll lose about a year as she recovers from this mental breakdown. She'll be catatonic for the first couple of months. Or do something, and live with the consequences." Titania was fading, her voice lingering for a second after the rest of her had gone. "But remember, not all consequences are bad."

Tori was left there, staring at her friend, thinking about what the strange lady had said. Regardless of what the singer did, what she chose, Jade's future, possibly her life, was in Tori's hands. It was too much. 'Is it really a sacrifice if I don't give anything up?' Tori wondered. 'But I'm not attracted to her.'

Tori didn't have time to fully analyze her own sexuality. The personal hell Jade was in was still going, reliving old childhood trauma's, only making sure that the goth knew that each one was her own fault. 'I should do something, but if I do, what if she thinks it means something?' Titania's words had left a mark on Tori, causing her to hesitate. 'But Jade's hurting.'

Tori stood there, watching her tormentor, her friend, suffering. From time to time, what appeared to be a physical wound would open up, only to fade like the last rays of light at sundown. "Jade." The word came to her mouth drawing her forward. Tori placed her hand on the other girls shoulder, shaking it hard. "Jade, come back to me. You're the one doing this, and I need you to come back."

There was no response from the girl. "I-I waited to long, she's too far gone.' Tori worried, but she didn't stop. "Jade, please, come back. I-" Tori hesitated, not sure what she was going to say, but hyper aware that once said, she'd never be able to take those words back. "I need, no want, no, damn it Jade, come back."

The goth didn't respond. It was like she was lost. 'Months in a catatonic state. That's when the lights are on, but no one is home.' Tori thought. Then, she whispered in the goths ear "Jade, come back, I love you."

Still no response. "That's it!" Tori roared. "I'm tired of being ignored!" She grabbed Jade's face, Turing the other girl to look at her. "Tonight was just too weird, you hear me?" Tori pulled Jade up to a sitting position, wiping the shadows away as they started to form. "Oh no, it's my turn to be heard." She barked at the shadowy forms. "Off." Tori wiped more of the shadow forms off, but they insisted on reforming, flowing over Tori as they did. "Jade, are you going to let them take me too?"

"What?" Jade asked, for the first time seeming to see the Latina since they'd been in her bedroom, talking about the Christmas spirits.

"Your demons, they're trying to take me too." Tori said. "Now snap out of it, and banish them."

"I-I can't." Jade replied. "They're too strong."

"Not for both of us." Tori said. "Now work with me. I've got the strength, and you have the ability. Just send them away, or catch them in one of those circle thingies."

"I don't have the time to set one up." Jade protested, her voice weak and worried.

"So you're just going to give up?" Tori snapped. "Jade West, the most feared girl at Hollywood Arts, is a quitter? No, not now, not on my watch. Pull it together, cause I have no desire to lose you."

"But..." The goths voice was soft, almost enveloped by the shadows.

"No buts." The singer retorted. "You sent me to the guerrilla club, pushed me off a forty foot platform, all because you thought I needed to face my fears. Well Jade, it's your turn. Take a deep breath, and push them off."

The shadowy forms were raging across Tori's skin, tearing and swearing at her, but to no effect. They were not her demons, and had no power over her. Once past the fear, she clearly saw they couldn't hurt her.

"I" Jade started, seeming to fade.

"Here." Tori said, as dark amber bored into teal. "Let me give you the strength." Tori, now resolved, pulled Jade towards her, leaning in, and pressed their lips together. As much as she wanted to crush the goths lips, she kept it gentile, soft, letting tenderness flow with the passion.

Jade tried to avoid the kiss, but didn't have any strength left. However, once she accepted the kiss, she not only found her strength returning, she felt warmth in parts of her that hadn't been warm in so long she'd forgotten they existed. Her partially frozen heart melted, and it hurt. Old pains, hidden by various traps and denials, flooded back. But Jade could take it now, because she felt the love she'd never felt worthy of before.

That's how they were found, holding each other, and kissing like they were passing breath. Only, when Tori kissed the goth, it didn't give her air as much as helped her breath again. Jade was softly crying, exercising the old pains, allowing her to start to heal. Jade's desperation, her need to know she was worth love, that somehow it wasn't her fault that her father didn't seem to love her was not only being acknowledged, but finally being accepted.

And Tori was holding her the entire time. Each soft kiss was another breath of life. Tori didn't try to stop the tears, she just held her girlfriend so that the goth had the strength to keep facing her inner demons.

"And I though I had a strange night." Tori recognized Jade's dad's voice. "I guess I've seen that Christmas carol once too often."

"Don't miss the lesson." Tori said, breaking contact with Jade for the time it took to see the older man. "Jade had a rough night. But I think she'll be okay now. However, if you have it in you, she still needs to be held." Her Amber eyes, now stronger then they'd been, captured him. "It's time you made up for lost..." A smile broke her face open, "Opportunities."

It only took a little shifting for Tori to hand Jade over to her father, and get up off the floor. Making an executive decision, Tori helped the two to the bed, so they'd be more comfortable. Stretching, Tori started to head home. She saw Jade's brother entering the room as she left, heard him squeak, and saw him join in on the hugging just as she lost sight of the family.

Tori was faced with the drive home, but decided she could do it. She drove far more cautiously then she'd done hours earlier, but still the drive home seemed to be over before she had the chance to realize how easy the whole thing was. She saw her parents, and Trina, weren't home yet, so she parked the car and headed in to make herself something to eat.

'Honestly, I feel like I could have flown home.' She mused. 'I couldn't have gotten much sleep, but I feel so alive.' She growled the last word in her mind.

Tori was lost, going over the nights events as she cooked. The sound of the door opening brought her back. "Tori, that smells delicious." Her mother said. "Any chance you've made enough to share?"

Tori noticed that she had been cooking, and it was enough for everyone. "Maybe I should invite a few friends so we can finish this." Tori said sheepishly.

They ate, and her parents complimented her on the food. She hadn't been the best cook, and this was prepared without a single thought, so how everything was so good confused her. Still, they dove into the mountain of breakfast foods, with a relish, enjoying every bite.

"You know, I don't say it often enough, but I love you guys." The singer said, again out of the blue.

"Wow, you must have had some night." Trina blurted.

"I had the chance to think about whats important to me." Tori replied. She took that moment to stand and circle the table, giving each of her family members a hug along the way.

A couple of hours later, Tori was relaxing on her couch, enjoying the last of the Christmas movies, when Jade walked in. "Don't you ever knock?" Tori asked.

"I always knock." Jade shot back. "You just leave your doors open. Who knows what kind of maniac might walk in?"

"I guess we do now." Tori said. She'd been feeling so good. "So, what brings you here?"

Jade took the time to look around. Trina was outside, enjoying the warmish weather, while David and Holly were out, doing whatever. Once secure that they were alone, Jade addressed Tori. "How much of last night do you remember?"

"I remember a scared and desperate little girl had trapped the spirits of Christmas, all to make her father see her as having value." Tori said, standing up. "And I remember the personal hell that scared and damaged girl put herself through." She stepped towards the goth, placing her hand on the other girls arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, things are better now." The writer said. "Not perfect, but better. We talked, and dad has agreed to treat his silly nightmares as worth thinking about." This time, teal sought out amber. "I wanted to thank you, for not letting me do something stupid to get to him." Jade's head touched Tori's. "And to let you know," her voice was soft, even at that close range, Tori had to strain to hear her. "I love you too."

:}

I had no idea where this was going for a while, but I think it turned out okay. What do you think of Tori's transformation, or did you notice?


	2. Chapter 2 Jade's penance

Disclaimer: I don't own the original material or characters. I just borrowed them.

This story has nothing to do with the other one.

:}

Jade wasn't used to moving so silently, but Tori's little surprise had caught her totally off guard. 'Of course, Tori would be the type to want to spend Christmas eve together.' Jade thought, glancing at her girlfriend. They'd only been together for about four months, sleeping together for less then one, so the whole sex thing was still very new. This was technically the first night they'd spent together that included sex.

It was also the reason she couldn't just tell the Latina she needed to be alone. Of course, her penance for delving into things not meant for mankind was kinda hard to explain. 'Just throw anything on, cause they won't be seeing things too clearly.' Jade reminded herself.

Once she had something on, the goth watched her girlfriend sleep for just a few moments more, then crept across her room to the far corner. There, Jade settled down and started to chant softly. After a few seconds, she felt the doorway open, slowly allowing passageway into the realm of dreams, and the specific realm she was seeking.

"Jade, whats are you doing?" Tori asked, so gently it might have gone unnoticed. But it was, because the Latina had walked over to where she was sitting to ask. That placed her right in the middle of the circle.

"Tori, NO!" Jade tried to warn her, to push the girl out, but it was too late. The doorway was open, and they both tumbled head over heals into the dark abyss.

Seconds passed, or maybe an eternity. Jade knew that time wasn't exactly running normally in this place. But either way, the world came back into view, and the goth, along with her girlfriend, were sitting in a pile next to a homey looking couch, towards the corner of a largish room where half a dozen or so other people had gathered.

"Okay folks, listen up. We've got a full schedule tonight, so lets get our assignments and start going over the particulars. Jade, you know we don't like unannounced guests." Something said. Tori could only describe it as a pixie, but without the wings. Despite being the smallest thing in the room, it spoke like it was in charge.

"Sorry, wasn't planned. Give me a second to figure things out, and I'll be ready." Jade replied.

"Don't bother." Another voice said. Tori was struck by the fact that these small individuals were there, since their size allowed them to be almost invisible until they were ready to be seen. "We're down one. Think she can handle helping out?"

"She's really too much of a goodie goodie." Jade tried to explain. "Lets just send her back, let her think it was all a dream."

"No!" Tori cut in. "I'm not going anywhere until someone explains whats going on here!"

"Oy vey." Jade moaned. "Tori, this is where those of us who've made mistakes can kinda work it off. It's... Hard to explain." The goth gave her best smile.

"Tits here was meddling in forces not meant for man, wound up summoning a demon. Scared the poor thing half to death." The first Pixie said. "So she's helping reform people, as penance."

The second piped in "Though she's almost done. As a matter of fact, I thought..."

"Yea, I've been bad, but I'm trying to be a better person." Jade said quickly, cutting the second pixie off. "Besides, this isn't your kind of thing. You're not a mystic, so you'd have to borrow power, and that gets messy."

"Not a problem." Pixie one said. "We prefer to led out the power, gives us more control."

Jade glared at the Pixie, ready to keep fighting. "Excuse me, I'm kinda new here, but maybe I can explain." An older man said. "You see, every year, the recently departed submit their requests for help, a kind of intervention, for their friends or family who could benefit from having their eyes opened to what's important in this world, and these, lets call them pixies, they choose who's going to get helped. I called upon the dark forces to wreck terrible revenge on my ex business partner, and while it kinda blew up in my face, I need to do this for the next two Christmases to work of the negative karma."

"Doing?" Tori asked, staring right at her girlfriend.

"Well, I'm usually the ghost of Christmas future." Jade said while looking around.

"We're going to be scaring people straight?" Tori asked, clearly trying to wrap her mind around the enormity of it.

"There's more to it then that." Pixie two said. "We do the research, determine who's a good candidate, taking in to account if they would be reachable by our methods. We rely on guilt, and shame, as much as fear. After all, the ghost of Christmas past is showing them how they came to be where they are."

"Can I do that?" Tori cut in.

"You're not repenting for anything." Jade snapped.

"Then maybe I can help work off your debt." The singer snapped back.

"Enough!" Pixie one declared. "Tori, you get to help. We don't discourage volunteers. You can be Christmas past, while Jade will be Christmas future. Now come, you each have three people to visit, so read over their bio's and get ready. Jade might explain that we usually require newcomers to play each role once, but you and her are both going to be so good at what you do, we're not going to sweat it. Bedsides, Jade here can bend time, so you won't be off at all. Now, Jade, keep an eye on her until she get the hang of things."

The girls, and some guy Jade seemed to know but not like, gathered the small e-readers with the bio data on them about the three people they'd be visiting. Tori had no idea who any of these people were, but was a good enough actor to play the roll. "Jade, I'm not sure about this. I mean, some of these stories are so sad." Tori told her girlfriend.

"The past is often sad." Jade informed her. "So's the present, and the future. Just, for different reasons. I mean, the way they treat the people around them, it's a whole new kind of sad."

"Is that why beginners have to play all three parts?" Tori asked.

"One of them." The goth replied. "The other is a reminder that we're here doing penance for our own sins. So no matter what role we play, we have to have some comparison. Doesn't make us any easier on them, however. We don't pull our punches unless we're worried that we're going too far, or they won't be able to internalize what we're teaching."

"Are those little guys angels?" Tori had to ask, even though the question seemed to come out of nowhere.

"We don't follow or endorse any specific religion. We even tailor our approach to the targets beliefs. Many are Christians, and they seem to have the most loopholes, but as long as they celebrate Christmas in some form, we don't discriminate." One of the pixies said. "It's time. And Tori, we're going to have you and Mitch switch for the last one. Less heavy lifting for Jade here. Also, we feel that one would respond to a female Christmas present better."

"Don't worry babe, I'll be near, watching out for you." Jade reassured her.

"Actually, she won't be. But don't worry, we'll make sure they cannot harm you." The pixie said. "We always protect our spirits." They saw a series of small sets appearing in adjoining rooms, each one seeming both familiar and unique. Tori was led to one of them, and informed that she'd have no trouble, since Jade would retrotime them to go off at the appropriate moments.

For Tori, it was a unique experience. She got to share the past with two very different, yet ultimately similar people. Both had difficult pasts, where they learned that no one ever stood up for anyone. Both had parents who didn't show love in a way children could understand. In the end, Tori's heart went out to each of them. Both had to be dragged away from happy memories, and shown past mistakes. One was married, six times, to a series of trophy wives, but managed to never allow himself to feel real love towards any of them. Tori had to show him the one he let get away because he wouldn't allow himself to be tied down to any one woman, the one he actually loved.

But finally, Tori had to take the Christmas Present shift, and it was a world of different. She found herself dealing with a man who thought she was just another conquest. He didn't force anyone, but he lied, he manipulated, and in the end he coerced. Tori was showing him that the young women he slept with often felt they didn't have a choice, even when he thought it was just his charm winning out. Slowly, Tori showed him his shallow lifestyle was about power, that his greed was his image of what a man was, and that most of the girls he managed to sleep with from work were doing it because they were concerned that he could make things difficult for them.

She also showed him some of his friends. Those men seemed to think that women were nothing but entertainment, that no meant yes, and as long as they were on a date, it wasn't rape. She showed him how some of them use drugs, or just get the girl too drunk to no the difference. The guy she was with was having trouble seeing that this was a problem, so Tori pointed out that some women commit suicide after being raped, and at the very least, the violation causes all kinds of psychological problems.

Tori had told him, more then once, that she wasn't interested in him, but he kept trying to get her to party. Finally as they reached the end of her shift, Tori could feel her anger at this man growing. She knew what was coming, almost relished it. And with a howl, she unleashed her own bit of venom, using his own words about single mothers against him. Then, she left him to Jade.

Tori was still shaking with rage when Jade joined her back in what she now called the green room. It wasn't green, but that's what they call the waiting room for talk shows and the like, so it kinda fit. The room even had Christmas themed snacks.

As she waited, she was "Debriefed" by the second pixie she'd met. "Do you have a name?" She asked. "I was just..." Tori tried not to sound prejudges. "I don't know how to address you."

"No names. Honestly, we just kinda know who we are and whats expected of us." It said. Sadly, Tori couldn't really be sure of it's gender either. "Just for out records, how are you feeling right now?"

"Angry." Tori said before she had a chance to edit what she was going to say. "That creep kept hitting on me. I don't know how to deal with that kind of..." She didn't have words to express her feelings.

"That's why we wanted you to go second. The past has to have some empathy for the guy, and he's a real creep." The pixie said. "But his fears, of being alone, they're being realized even as he was hitting on you. Jade will show him a future where he's known as the dirty old man, and the only affection he gets he pays for. She'll get him to change his ways. But the real problem is getting him to talk to the police, give up his friends. He may, technically, have not committed rape, even though he coerced them. But his friends, he knows several of them raped girls, and he needs to tell the police. That's what will help cleanse his soul. I'm counting on Jade to drive that idea home."

"The others, they were just so sad." Tori tried to move away from the disgusting man she'd been forced to spend time with.

"They usually are." The Pixie said. "But you have to understand, there comes a point where you stop giving them an out, and require them to take responsibility for their own lives. To heal, they have to take control. Ever hear the song 'Only a Lad?' Listen to it some time. Make you think."

"So, what will happen to them?" Tori asked the pixie.

"Won't know until tomorrow." The Pixie replied. "They have the right to choose not to head our advice, not to take out help. Some don't take all of it, but they do change. Others ignore us completely, we become a bad nights sleep. Still others change, but their lives just don't turn out that happy. We are not the same as incentive therapy. But others, I'd say more then half, they change their lives, and get to be happy, while helping others to be happy."

"And Jade?" Tori suddenly had to know.

"All our agents come to us because they did wrong, and were likely to do a lot of damage if they didn't change their ways. But not all our agents are still doing penance." The agent of change said. "Jade's fulfilled her contract, but I think she likes scaring people. Besides, we do need some spirits who are here for them, the people we're trying to help."

"So is there hope for Jade?" Tori asked.

"We're looking out for her." The Pixie said. "We give her a place to be constructively mean, let her work on her directing and creativity, and when she needs it, we make sure she makes some choices that will rein her in. Wasn't expecting you to follow her, but it's all good."

"Wait, what?" Tori felt confused.

"That night, four months ago, when Jade was wondering and found her way to you, who do you think guided her feet to your door?" The pixie sounded proud. "She deserves to be loved, just like anyone else. So does she make you happy?"

Caught off guard by the question, Tori still answered honestly. "Yes, she does."

"Then don't question it." The pixie warned her before the Latina could start to question if she loved Jade or was tricked. "Jade's back, it's time for you to go."

"How long?' Tori asked as they walked over to where Jade was standing, having completed her debriefing.

"We'll be back just before the dawn." Jade told her. "Don't worry, I usually set my body to go back to bed shortly after I take off haunting."

"Body?" Tori asked. "My bodies on the floor?" Jade just smiled, took her hand, and stepped through the wall and into the maelstrom. Seconds later, they awoke, laying side by side in Jade's bed.

Tori rolled over, looked her lover straight in the blue green eyes, and said "Is it going to be like this every year?"

:}

For those expecting a normal version of this story, good luck. I'm not given to normal. The story of the ghosts is interesting enough, but I like coming at them from different angles. So, what do you think? Personally, I think Jade likes scaring greedy older people. But thats just me.


End file.
